Laois walks festival will kick off on Saturday the July 1 with a walk around the picturesque Derryounce Lakes and bogland in Portarlington.
Now in its 17th year the festival offers the opportunity for walkers to experience all that Laois has to offer with 27 guided walks throughout the county with varying difficulty during the month of July.
The festival offers walks that are designed to encourage you to get out and explore the countryside and the Slieve Bloom Mountains.
The scenic walks are varied; through woodland, over pastoral lands and along country laneways.
For those who are interested in completing a pilgrim passport or a Camino challenge.
The month of July will give you a total of 249Kms of excitement and scenery walking in Laois.
Launched this week by Laois Walks Festival Co-Ordinator Susan Lawlor “the festival offers something for everyone” according to Susan.
She said: “This festival could not happen without the goodwill and support of several private and state landowners, including Coillte, National Parks and Wildlife Services, Office of Public Works, and Inland Waterways, who provide access to the walkways.
“I would also like to acknowledge the support we receive from Laois Partnership Company, Laois Sports Partnership and Laois County Council, which is key to organising such a successful festival.”
The Festival provides an opportunity to explore some of Laois’s stunning views and countryside in the company of local guides.
This year’s packed programme features walks for all abilities, from the enthusiastic well-equipped walker who relishes the challenge on the Slieve Bloom Mountains to the gentle rambler who is out to enjoy a pleasant guided walk.
So, whatever type of a walker you are, come to Laois this July where you are assured of a wonderful warm welcome at our festival.
Laois Partnership CEO, Anne Goodwin commended the local communities for their continued commitment to developing the walking product in county Laois.
Anne said: “Each walk is maintained by the local community all year round.
“During the festival, members of the local community provide the stewards and the light refreshments. After attending the Laois Walks festival for the last sixteen years, I can confirm that it is the camaraderie between the walkers and the local communities that has led to its success.”
Each walk costs €2 per or you can buy a €25 festival tickets which covers you for all 27. Registration takes place half an hour prior to each walk.
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